He's Home!

He's still on Oxygen, but it is minimal, and he has a 50 foot tube, so he can pretty much go anyplace in the house.  I was so pooped out by the time we got home (trip to the grocery store to get prescription and a few groceries, etc) and met the guy from the medical supply who set up his oxygen maker machine I just called work and told them I wouldn't be in.  I really hated to do it, but I was exhausted, and still had chores to do. 

Gracie is a little bit freaked out by the fans from the O2 machine, but she'll get used to it, I'm sure.  You'd think that I was the one who had been gone the way George is sticking to me like glue. 

Thanks so much for all your support over the past two weeks.  I'm just looking for "normal" now. 

Mansfield -"A town you drive to, not through"

The little town of Mansfield, in North Central Washington was just being established when my great grandparents & grandparents homesteaded about 15 miles west of town. 

It was lucky that the Great Northern Railroad saw the potential of the area and ran the rail lines up.  The railroad purchased a quarter section of land and moved the town about a mile to where the rail lines ended.  It grew to a population of about 2500, until fires in the late teens burned most of the business district, and the 1920's saw drought.  The "Great Depression" hit the area hard and many had to pack up and leave to find work elsewhere.    

Not changing much since the late 20's, the town now has about 350 people in the city limits.  For the first time, the school had no Senior Class, but 16 babies were born in the area this year, guaranteeing a Senior class in 2031...

And technology has come to local UP church - 













Their wayside pulpit is an electronic reader board!  

At the height of the 'boom time" this building was a bank.  Then when I was growing up, it was the Post Office.

It sat empty for many years after the USPS built a new facility across the street (you can see it in the first picture)

After sitting empty for many years, in 1998,  a group of local people proposed a museum for the space.  It has some wonderful displays.  

A replica of the old barber shop

One of the One Room Schoolhouses that dotted the country side.  

The little school building featured in this picture was about a  mile from our home.  My sisters went to grade school there - I had 1/2 day kindergarten on Fridays in the spring before I started 1st grade in town. 

 The Museum volunteers have put together some very informative displays.  It is well worth the trip to the town to see the Museum.  If you are over in Chelan for a summer weekend it's just a short 45 minutes or so up to the area. 

I'm sorry that I didn't get a better picture of the tin ceiling tiles.  They are very close replicas of the original tiles that were in the building when it was built.  

A display honoring the railroad's contribution to the area is being established in the basement.  

And while you are there, make sure you stop in the restroom to see this amazing marble tile on the floor!

Our friend Doug opened the museum up just for our family. Thanks, Doug.  

My favorite views & a Family Reunion

One thing about going "home" to North Central Washington is the wide open spaces. Actually I only lived there for the first 20 years of my life and have lived on the west side for twice that long...but it is amazing how the sights and smells are so evocative of my childhood - the scent of the sage that grows along side the roads - quite frankly- even the dirt smells different over there.

And sky - you can see clear to Canada from our plateau- and this time of the year, the wheat is so beautiful and green.  Soon it will be golden and ready to harvest, but right now it just looks lush over there. 



Geologically speaking, the soil on our plateau is rather new to the party.  It is essentially ground basalt and benefited greatly from the ash that fell on the area when Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980 - the farmers use a summer fallow system of planting to add organic matter to the fields.


Many of the farmers are now also using "bio solids" - the bi-products  from sewage treatment plants around the northwest.  The dark piles in the fields at the bottom of this hill are even labeled as to what city they come from -  hmmm - Our farmer did say, however, that his yields had increased after spreading this product on the fields - and that the benefit had lasted for several years.  They are carefully monitored by the EPA to make sure no heavy metals or other pollutants get into the ground water

Sage brush in the foreground - the green bushy plants in the mid section were planted in this draw by my dad about 50 years ago.  The plantings were sponsored by the DNR to provide areas for bird and other wild critter habitat. 

A true view of "home"

With all the trees leafed out, you can't see much of the houses, but after the wheat (the green in the foreground) turns golden, it will look like a green oasis in an area of seemingly arid land.

A new view - yellow Canola blossoms - 

Another thing that is different this year is that our farmer has planted Canola in one of the fields around the houses.  This was the very end of the bloom - I guess the week before the fields practically glowed in the dark.

There is more Canola planted in Douglas county than anywhere else in Eastern Washington - There are almost 7000 acres planted in Canola right now. 

My nephew Chris

A view of family - 

The real reason for going over to "The Ranch", as we call it, was for a family reunion of my dad's side of the family.  Unfortunately many of the "younger" generation (my first cousin's children) already had plans and were not able to attend.  But my nephews and their families both attended - it is amazing how fast kids grow when you only see them every couple of years.

And, of course, we went from "oh, are we going to have enough food?" to "what are we going to do with all this food" in a matter of minutes. 

My Grandpa used to say that our family was the first to get to the party and the last to leave.  It becomes a contest of will when you all have the same last name...ha, ha...

One branch of our family tree holds some particularly talented quilters.  My three cousins delighted us with a "quilt show" of their beautiful creations.  I will show you more of them in one of my next posts. 

Our farmer and his family live in the house that I grew up in- -  this view is from the kitchen of the house my dad was born in - where my Grandpa Pete and Grandma Dot lived for some 50 or so years. 

That is the same lilac bush that is behind them in the picture below that was taken in the late 50's / early 60's.

Grandpa Pete and Grandma Dot

I think they would have had a good time at our picnic - my grandpa loved a good party - pretty soon he'd have pulled out one of his harmonicas and the music would begin.

Can you hear it?






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The Long Road Home

We went to Eastern Washington over the weekend to attend the wedding of a family friend. I have LOTS to tell you and show you, but I have to get my church newsletter done first!










So, SOON, I'll tell you about the long road "home".